State Formation

A nation state is defined as being sovereign or having supreme authority over a fixed territory and having a legitimate right to use physical force over that given territory. According to these criteria, Afghanistan can be considered a national state. In order for a state to be sovereign, it must have an external autonomy and internal hierarchy. As a result of the British imposing their direct foreign rule on the Afghani people, regional revolts transpired. This forced the British to find a new cooperative ruler, who in exchange for large subsidies and the right to rule an unoccupied Afghanistan would let Britain control the country’s foreign affairs. So they offered Abdur Rahman the position of amir of Northern Afghanistan. The British recognized the Afghanistan government, but would not move to sustain it in a civil war (external autonomy). Furthermore, Rahman began a new series of wars designed to destroy the old state structure in which major urban centers and the tribal regions were autonomous. In doing so, he made sure that no city or region outside of Kabul had any influence on national policy. The amir also destroyed or subordinated old regional elites as political players and gained power over territories by military force, which permitted the Afghani state to become the only sovereign authority in the area. Once Rahman had gotten rid of his greatest rivals, the Afghanis were forced to recognize his power, which gave him legitimate control over Afghanistan. His new elite was created to serve him and the state, from which they derived their influence. Rahman’s goal was to rule Afghanistan directly and autocratically without having to rely on intermediaries (internal hierarchy). These military and political successes gave him supreme power over Afghanistan and its people.

Charles Tilly claimed that coalition and capital drives state formation because it causes damage to groups or individuals and allows the state to enter a realm of domination.